‘It Doesn’t Matter’ - Zimbabwe Social Media Pushes Back on Mnangagwa’s Zambia Roots Debate

HARARE - As fresh reporting resurfaced Emmerson Mnangagwa’s childhood years in Mumbwa, Zambia, social media in Zimbabwe lit up - not with surprise, but with backlash against making it an issue. Veteran journalist Hopewell Chin’ono, one of Mnangagwa’s most prominent critics, told his followers he “will not tolerate xenophobic attacks against Mnangagwa” over his Zambian ties. Chin’ono was responding to posts alleging Mnangagwa is “not a Zimbabwean but of Zambian origin,” after Zambian politician Joseph Kalimbwe referenced a “Lloyd Mnangagwa, a Zambian national.” Kalimbwe was attacking social media posts urging Zambians not to vote for Lloyd Mnangagwa, who is reported to be President Mnangagwa’s nephew. Chin’ono wrote: “There is so much to criticise Mugabe and Mnangagwa for - calling them Malawian or Zambian debases the real issues.” Mnangagwa was born Dambudzo Mnangagwa on Sept. 15, 1942, in Shabani, Southern Rhodesia, now Zvishavane. His father Mafidhi was ordered to leave Southern Rhodesia in the early 1950s for political activism and settled in Mumbwa, Northern Rhodesia. The family joined him by train in 1955. Mnangagwa attended Myooye School, Mumbwa Boarding School, Kafue Trade School, and Hodgson Technical College in Zambia. He was expelled from Hodgson in 1960 for political activity and joined Zambia’s UNIP Youth League in 1962. After prison, he was deported to Zambia in 1975, studied law at the University of Zambia, and was admitted to the Zambian Bar in 1976. “Zambia is home. My family still lives in Mumbwa. This is where I grew up,” Mnangagwa said in Lusaka, Aug 2024. “We will never forget the sacrifices made by Zambia during our liberation struggle. Zambia was our second home,” he said on Heroes Day 2023. Chin’ono pushed back publicly: “I will not tolerate xenophobic attacks against Mnangagwa,” he posted, adding that focusing on nationality “debases the real issues.” Other users echoed him. One viral thread argued: “We have CAB3, $31 million bribe allegations, and judges at Chitepo School. Who cares if he went to school in Mumbwa? Fight the term extension.” That record is why many users say the Zambia debate is a distraction. “The issue is CAB3 and 2030, not Mumbwa,” posted one Harare lawyer. “If we go tribal on origin, ZANU-PF wins.” Zimbabwe’s social media is split between ZANU-PF “varakashi” and opposition supporters. But on this, there’s rare overlap: attacking Mnangagwa’s roots is off-limits for many.